SAFE HAVENS: Shadow Masters (A Sean Havens Black Ops Novel Book 1) (29 page)

Havens exhaled loudly in response to the overwhelming amount of information tying back to his personal situation.

“Sean, if you want to join us, we can let you go at the bottom feeders fully funded. We’ll even give you some local surveillance support from the street electronics and can add some other technical overwatch, be it infrared, heat, time lapse. We have a lot of toys at our disposal.”

“May I?” Havens reached out for the file. The first few pictures were of his wife dead on the floor.
You assholes are playing me
. He thumbed through the photos of the dead gang members. Reports had come from the Chicago Police and FBI.

“Why was the FBI involved?”

“For your case they weren’t. We have just created a comprehensive file of everything involved or related.”

So maybe that does rule out Lars from this group if they can get files from anyone. Maybe my imagination is running a bit crazy these days, seeing ghosts everywhere.

“And how do you all get these files?”

“They give them to us when we ask. In this case, we had a contact within the district attorney’s office procure a bit of everything. If you are interested in going after that gang and the leaders who tasked your wife’s killers, we can have your file closed and sealed. That further secures you as a suspect if people start disappearing or whatever it is you want to do with them.”

“And you think they would consider me as a suspect, why?”

“I don’t. Just trying to think what you would be thinking. Frankly, CPD and the Bureau could really care less if they know an authority is whacking these guys who are out of their grasp. It is easier to kill than to prosecute and lock up with a bunch of other like-minded thugs so they can all plan more elaborate activities when they get out of jail. The worst thing about your wife’s killers is that these guys couldn’t have cared less about you and your family. They did it for status. Their taskers were doing it for other reasons and likely could be tied to your overseas work.”

“Why do you think it is tied to my stuff overseas?”

“From what little I know of you, and the names you dropped of those who are no longer with us, you have focused on your own orchestration and hunting of proxy actors overseas. You hunt Iran’s Qods Force, Republican Guards, Hezbollah, and a smattering of AQ around the world. Chances are pretty good since you are dealing with ideological groups that a supporter or empathizer may have marked you as a problem child for their work. Really, with all the surface level cleared personnel that our intelligence community sustains, do you really think you are covered well? Didn’t you just get out of a little scrape overseas due to shoddy work and no solid backing?”

Someone is talking. He’s right; I’m exposed
. “I suppose. The sad truth is you just don’t know at the time. Let me ask you this…”

“Shoot.”

“How does the parent organization Silver Star get involved and why would they want you all part of what they do?”

“Great question. Short answer is they don’t. We receive lists of individuals who are threatening the families of our guys and girls overseas. The overall organization does a bit of a triage. Low level may be walking with a wife or daughter to work or school if there is light harassment. Another level may be to help get a restraining order. When beatings, threats, rapes, and even amber code abductions happen and prosecution would involve more resources, time, or even just the mental involvement of one of our deployed guys who is in sensitive missions, we just want the problem to go away. In those cases, it goes to a door down the hall. Our door. It just says Electrical/Mechanical on the door. You need to go through two doors to get there. That type of thing.”

“I see where you are going.”

“Exactly. Everyone is happy when a problem can just disappear and our special mission operators can focus on their tasks at hand without domestic distraction. Those ones are slipped under our door, so to speak. And, in most all cases, those targets are pieces or shit that are bothering other citizens around them. We are taking out the trash for our brethren while also cleaning the streets. In that folder you have there are gang members who are tied to your situation but they are also involved in the families of local servicemen, whether they’re trying to recruit a service member’s kid to a gang, pushing drugs, shooting up a neighborhood, maybe sexually assaulting a serviceman’s wife or daughter.”

“We whack them and problems go away. When problems go away politicians are happy and police chiefs are promoted. If our guys are caught, someone can turn a blind eye. Been there done that.”

“Exactly, we just stay clear of media or use it to serve us by creating situations that they will exploit unwittingly to facilitate our desired courses of action.”

“How long have you all been doing this?”

“Our group? Just a couple years. Part of that was an evolution and framing. We had a couple trial profiles of team members that we tested and are finding we needed more guys like you than guys like me. Things were starting to get sloppy. Frankly, things are still a bit sloppy. The framework and concept are solid, but as you know black ops are better constructed in the mind and on paper than they are in real day-to-day planning and execution. Sometimes what sounds good at the time is pretty stupid once you are carrying it out. Backstops and top cover aside, we have to be professional and not create any awareness to our activities. We are all seasoned, but frankly, we are pretty close to acting like amateurs in this arena.”

“Makes sense. I am all for the basic concept of the program, but these types of things end up taking on a life of their own, and most often the ring leaders start getting a bit of a God complex.”

“So do you want to think about it?”

Havens flipped back to a picture of his wife contorted in her own blood. He could imagine his daughter watching as her mother fell. He imagined the fear she had before the gun was fired at her crashing a bullet through her skull.

“Think about it? That’s all I have been thinking about since I got the news. I am in but want to know who is running things at the top.”

“Excellent. I will be back in touch with you in the coming day with some details. You start thinking of accounts you want money put into and other housekeeping items. Keep the file. It is yours. Let me know if you want them to close the file.”

“You never answered me on who is flagging this group. Who does this boil up to?”

“I’ve shared everything you need to know. The details you are asking about are not your concern. Just like your old line of work. You work through me. You see me starting to act like I think I am God, you come to me.”

“How can I contact you?”

“I will give you a number when I call you next. In the meanwhile just get some things in order.”

“When do I start?”

“You already did.”

“Sounds good. We have a deal then.” Havens extended his hand to his new boss.

“Great.” Harrison looked down at his Suunto Vector watch. “Still have time for a bite?”

“No, I’m going to start working. Thanks.”

“I’ll show you out.”

“I am assuming we don’t need to do any of the planning and communicating in a SCIF?”

Harrison grinned.

“Brother, if we don’t exist, we can’t get a secure compartmented facility certified out in the field. You will buy or rent your own facility and a small fleet of vehicles to suit your needs. Ideally, you can do the same to support our ops. Our communications will be like any other friend or business associate just talking but we will establish some protocols and use encrypted commercial phones for designated communications. Most, however, will be up to you. We hope to get the encrypted phones in soon. There was a procurement hiccup. We can use burner phones no problem, but the reality is, who’s going to pick up on us anyway? And from what I have been told, if we get picked up, having the encryption may draw more attention.”

“That’s true. I use an iPhone 5 and pull out the SIM card since I can’t take out the battery. I figure no tool out there can pull data off a 5 right now and with a PIN and PUK code, it would take a court order and a few days to get the info. By then, I’d be using another one.”

“Shit. I figure no one is even pulling from our airwaves, and I don’t keep contacts or things, so I keep it unlocked so I don’t have to put a passcode in when I drive.”

Loose lips. Not real smart though I get the concept. Whatever.

“And I will pick the teams or be assigned?”

“Sean, you will have little interaction with the guys that do the work in the field. I will be the primary interface.”

Havens processed the information.

“I will provide you the targets and you will come up with the courses of action and to some degree the operational plans. You can go in the field as you see fit on your own for recce and source development. Chances are, for the first number of months, you won’t need to develop sources and go underground. Just help us check the boxes.”

“What is your background, Harrison?”

“Let’s save something for the next time.”

The men parted with another handshake. Havens thanked the doorman again as if he had just been a guest in the man’s home. He walked out the revolving door with a new sense of purpose. The emptiness was filling again. He couldn’t wait to go see his daughter. He hailed the first cab he saw.

Harrison went to the restroom and then gave a last look around the club as he retrieved his light overcoat from the check. He could see actually being a member of a place like this. A bit stiff and he probably wouldn’t like the people, but he liked the thought of a nice upscale wood-trimmed officer’s club. He had been to such clubs with his SAS counterparts in the UK years ago and often stayed in the Special Forces club while in London when he wasn’t trying to disguise the purpose of his visit. Until then, there were plenty of other clubs and discrete meeting places in the city that could be obtained with the right amount of personality and green dead presidents. Harrison handed the doorman another two hundred dollars and thanked him.

“Thank you, Mr…”

“You’re welcome.”

“We hope to see you again sometime.”

“Doubtful. This old place just served its purpose.”

“Please consider us again.”

Yeah, please come back and tip me four hundred dollars for two hours use of your space
.

Harrison walked out the alleyway exit and headed south to a parking garage a block away.

A job well done, Harrison. Double tapped Havens without him even knowing. It will be win win though. Havens could be good to work with even if he is a bit of a prick.

Harrison relished the idea of working with elite professionals again.

It was a beautiful day and he loved his work.

Chapter 36

A
fter circling the block, the taxi now thirty feet back from the club pulled back into traffic. Havens hadn’t seen Harrison leave the front way and caught a glimpse of him in the alley. “Take a right here after the alley.” Is there a large covered parking garage down this way?”

“There is one a building over.”

“No, that’s no good. How about one maybe a block or two down?”

“Yes, sir. There is one just off Congress. Four levels. Why do you ask, sir?”

“Just take me over there but keep going past it on this street. Then make a slow loop around it so we can get there in five to seven minutes.”

Havens had no intention of following Harrison. He suspected if Harrison was cautious he would be running some surveillance detection routes of his own, which would end up costing Havens a fortune in cab fare and ultimately end up somewhere that he couldn’t enter without risk of exposure. No, Havens just wanted to see what kind of car Harrison would be driving, whether rental, utility, luxury so he could make note of its general purpose or track it later if need be.

It was Havens’ city and now he was working it. He was back in the game. He still was uncertain if he liked playing in his own backyard. This was different from imaginary Nazis and VC in the backyard. This was a killer game and he just volunteered to play.

Chapter 37

D
raeger turned the dial of the SCIF safe. He kept turning. Missed his spot. Spun the dial again.

Pain in the ass security
.
These
f
ucking safes are so temperamental.

Finally the lock clicked and the door popped open. Draeger signed the access document under a different name and pulled the Special Access Program file he was looking for. Despite this being a protected program, they had made a number of administrative adjustments to ensure a greater sense of anonymity and plausible deniability.

The folder contained what he expected. There was a list of a number of names and tagged offense subject descriptions organized by city. Judgment had been passed by others and these individuals were to be eliminated as a further threat to U.S. security or interests. He would relay the names in a benign manner to Harrison via RSA standard encrypted email, and now that Havens was on board, a plan would be forthcoming in weeks. If the phones would get here, it would be more ideal for timing.

Harrison had expressed some concern as to how on board Havens would be for exterminating such a wide base of people in his home city where even the most careful planning could have blowback on his own domestic foundations. Havens was used to working abroad where he could keep distance from his life. This was one of the reasons Havens never moved to Virginia, Tampa, North Carolina, or Maryland where his business associates and clients resided.

Draeger, however, had assured Harrison that he had a plan. If Havens was able to help them knock out this list, that would buy DOSA enough time to find his replacement. Their newest recruit would be the perfect scapegoat if something fell apart and would be an ideal backstop once he was dead. He would be a fucked up head case who decided to take apart a city over his grief.

Under the current administration the longevity of this project would probably be less than a year as the bureaucrats involved would no longer be able to stomach the political risk of any fallout from such a program on their careers. Draeger’s orders were to move this quickly to get some defense funding back into the budget. Cuts would make the U.S. weak. Cuts would make people who were promised riches to question alliances if they weren’t paid.